1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing system that executes a cooperative job that is executed through cooperation between a plurality of information processing apparatuses that have an authentication function, as well as a processing method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, technology has been proposed that provides a user with a virtual multifunction information processing system in which a plurality of information processing apparatuses are connected to a network and the respective information processing apparatuses cooperate to execute processing.
For example, in an office or the like, an information processing apparatus (simple multifunction peripheral) that has only a print function and a copy function, and an information processing apparatus (multifunction peripheral) that additionally has a facsimile function are connected by a LAN. With this configuration, an original can be scanned using a scanner of the simple multifunction peripheral to create a document. Subsequently, the created document is sent to the multifunction peripheral and the multifunction peripheral transmits the received document as a facsimile.
Thus, through cooperation between a plurality of information processing apparatuses, a user can use a facsimile function of a remote multifunction peripheral from a simple multifunction peripheral that is located near the user's own seat. Thus, the convenience of the user can be improved.
Hereunder, an information processing apparatus at which a user performs a direct operation, such as the above described simple multifunction peripheral, is referred to as a “cooperative information source processing apparatus”. Further, an information processing apparatus, such as a multifunction peripheral, that cooperates with the cooperation origin information processing apparatus is referred to as a “destination cooperative information processing apparatus”. Furthermore, execution of a function that is provided through cooperation with a cooperative information source processing apparatus and a destination cooperative information processing apparatus is referred to as a “cooperative job”.
Nowadays, information processing apparatuses have an authentication function to enhance security. Some information processing apparatuses are configured so that a user cannot use the functions of the information processing apparatus or use or refer to information stored therein without performing an authentication operation.
However, in an environment in which a plurality of information processing apparatus cooperates as described above, it is necessary for the user to perform authentication at each of the information processing apparatuses. This situation is complicated and inconvenient for the user. In this regard, technology has been proposed that automatically executes processing by sending authentication information to a destination cooperative information processing apparatus when a user receives authentication at a cooperative information source processing apparatus (for example, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-102948).
However, in the conventional art, if an account of a user that is authenticated at a cooperative information destination processing apparatus does not exist at a source cooperative information processing apparatus, authentication cannot be performed at the source cooperative information processing apparatus. Hence, the cooperative job cannot be executed at the source cooperative information processing apparatus. In order to enable execution of the cooperative job it is necessary for an account of the user to be previously registered at the source cooperative information processing apparatus also. However, in some cases this involves complications with respect to management.
For example, there are many cases in which a user normally uses a cooperative information destination processing apparatus and rarely executes a cooperative job. Since it is necessary to register a user account at a source cooperative information processing apparatus even in this case, this situation leads to an increase in management costs.